Big Street teams up with ITM to market giant LED screens in Delhi

In October, afaqs! reported that the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) had awarded the contract to install 50 audio-visual LED screens in prime locations across Delhi to International Techno Media (ITM). Now, Big Street, the OOH (out of home) division of Reliance Media World, has joined hands with ITM to market these screens.

This strategic alliance will see a specialised team planning and building content strategy for the screens. The marketing and sales teams at Big Street will market the screens across the country, leveraging not just Delhi based customers but national clients as well. Both ITM and Big Street will share the margins.

Big Street claims that this is the biggest LED project in the country for high definition 12.7 mm pitch LED boards. In addition to playing advertisements, the specialty of these screens is that they can run both stored and live video contents, film promos, information like news and stock related tickers, and weather information. All of this will be managed centrally, using a software application and broadband connectivity.

Out of the 50 LED screens, 41 locations have been identified, which include Ashok Vihar, Lajpat Nagar (2 sites), Rohini (3 sites), CR Park, Malviya Nagar, Saket, Defence Colony, Mayur Vihar (2 sites), Sarita Vihar, Gaffar Market, Shalimar Bagh (2 sites) and Greater Kailash I and II (3 sites).

The main objective behind choosing these locations is to capture the majority of shoppers in the city of Delhi who are in these market areas with the mindset to shop and indulge.

Jatin Bansal, managing director and chief executive officer, ITM, says, "Big Street's rich experience in marketing and advertising will help us to take this venture to a new level. We want to spread our network of LED screens to all key cities in a couple of years from now, and give the advertisers and clients an innovative and unique advertising option. At the same time, we aim to build up community viewing within the cities where we are present."

To measure the reach and efficacy of the screens, ITM, in collaboration with The Nielsen Company, conducted two surveys in the 50 areas chosen for the installation of the screens.

The first survey, carried out in June, recorded a daily footfall of 2 lakh people across all the locations.

As part of another survey, an LED screen was put up in PVR Saket, running both ads and content. About 72 per cent of shoppers in the age group of 15 years and above from SEC A, B and C noticed the LED screen and considered it as an attention catcher and relevant.

ITM has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hyderabad based MIC Electronics, which will manufacture these screens.